Paragon City
Paragon City is one of the worlds in Kayrth. Possibly the greatest magical city to grace the soil of Kayrth, Paragon takes great pride in its magical prowess and holds a legendary hostility for the City of Gales and their magic-hating ways. Paragon takes pride in a great many things, actually, and this city-wide patriotism has historically made it hard to bend their backs enough to ask for any kind of help, as well as make them appear cold and unfeeling to uninitiated outsiders. They also guard the only known entrance to the Sinister Forest, and it is required for soldiers training in their army to spend at least a year helping out the full-time guards. The famous Paragon Seer is another one of their main attractions and symbols of hope, being both a member of the rare aetas species and the spiritual leader of their peoples after coming to Paragon in a time of great need. Description Some say that Paragon has always been here. That when the world came into existence, so too did this city of magic and light and the denizens that lurk about within; at the whim of some great Creator who waved their hand and thought "Here will lie a great city," and there Paragon appeared. Paragon, the city of magic; Paragon, who watches the rest of the world and, more importantly, watches over the gates of the Sinister Forest. Of course, for those less theistically inclined, it isn't hard to imagine the village-town of Paragon creeping up on the rest of Kayrth until suddenly it's there. Now, of course, it seems fitting that there is a magical city; a mystical place where legends are facts and blue, bauble-like crystals shine with a light of their own making. Where ethereal seers walk in the halls of ancient crystal spires and warriors train to hone sword and shield until they day that they are needed most. Ancient prophecies speak of a shrewd tyrant from across the seas arriving at the entrance to this hallowed city, greed giving them a thirst that is doomed to never be satisfied, greed driving them to strike down Paragon's seer and cast the city into chaos. For some warriors, this is why they fight; because there are so many evils out there they might train all their lives just to be rid of only one. Wizards, too, are featured prominently in both lore and day-to-day life; for what is a city inundated with magic unless it has those wise in its ways? Those with the gift make fire dance across their fingers and glow in their eyes; if they will it, earth moves through the air like water and the wind will even bend to their wishes, for a little while... only a little while, as overzealous wizards have learned the hard way. Travelers from all over the world come to seek out Paragon's hidden walls, but so very few ever penetrate the thick marshes and swamps surrounding it; perhaps for the better, as the people of Paragon are often said to be cynical and hostile to those from the outside world. Not everyone who crosses into its borders have entirely honest hearts, and history shows that they have been burned too many times to easily believe the words of a body who has not been born and grown inside their walls. For a native, though, Paragon is... some kind of paradise. Its tropical climate gives birth to a wide variety of fruit and wildlife, the least among these healing herbs and poisonous toadstools that guarantee the death of those foolish enough to even brush against them. Yearly monsoons feed and keep the river that flows through the city alive and is vital enough for day-to-day living that the citizens even forgive the lives it occasionally takes during flooding. It is a reminder, some like to say: reminder that, although they will coexist with nature, they will never be its master. Dirt paths cut through the grass and foliage by repetitive trekking guide strangers and natives alike to the shops and other attractions; every footprint a mark that says, "I was here." Sinuous, otherworldly kaels wind their way around the ankles of their owners (or the local shopkeeper); nearby, those with a sensitivity to such magical auras shiver when they look at the concentration of magic at a shop that sells enchanted weapons. All produce is grown locally and near-guaranteed to be fresh and ripe and given away (for the appropriate price) with a friendly smile and a cheerful send-off. Streetlights in the form of floating crystals light the way, present in Paragon for as long as anyone who is anyone cares to remember, providing an immediate contrast to the eerie glow of the forest this magical city proclaims its neighbor. If, of course, it was proper protocol to brandish weapons and wary eyes toward neighbors. Loyal guardians patrol the borders of the forest and ensure that no daring everyman (or lost traveler) accidentally wanders into the forest's deadly embrace, for few who enter leave entirely as they went in. To outsiders, Paragon City is a mystery. An enigma that one could puzzle at for an eternity and come no closer to finding out the answer; something to be given the same courtesy as a sleeping beast -- some poke it, to see the reaction, and others give it a wide, wide berth. To those who have lived and breathed the heavy, humid air, it is home. It does not need to be anything else. "New around these parts, eh, stranger? Well, just between you and me, here's a little bit of advice: a pauper could become a king, here in Paragon, and find riches and weapons and trinkets that are priceless. But nothing ever comes for free, and you'd best be able to pay the price." NPCs